Changes to the GO4it programme
Sport Bay of Plenty has been delivering fundamental skills to children across the Bay of Plenty since early 2010 through the GO4it programme. Fundamental skill development was identified as the top priority for Bay of Plenty communities through Kiwisport consultation in 2009. Whilst this priority was less evident in subsequent consultation, fundamental skill development was still identified as an important issue facing tamariki across the region.
Initially developed as a skills-based programme using sporting codes, the GO4it programme evolved over the years to become better aligned to the New Zealand Health and PE curriculum. This involved Sport Bay of Plenty changing the delivery basis of the programme to include more consistent relationships within schools, as well as taking a more holistic approach to the delivery of the activities to tamariki and teachers. In recent years, there has been a reduction in sub-regional resource which subsequently meant the GO4it programme needed to take an earlier that anticipated exit in eastern Bay of Plenty.
A transition to Healthy Active Learning
In 2019 Sport New Zealand developed the Healthy Active Learning initiative as part of the government’s response to the child, youth and wellbeing strategy. Healthy Active Learning is a joint government initiative between Sport New Zealand and the Ministries of Health and Education to improve the wellbeing of tamariki through healthy eating and drinking and quality physical activity. Sport Bay of Plenty was selected to deliver the Healthy Active Learning phase 1 initiative from 2020-2022 to 30 schools in the Central Bay of Plenty. Throughout this period Sport Bay of Plenty has continued to deliver the GO4it programme in Western Bay of Plenty and Central Bay of Plenty.
Healthy Active Learning expands to eastern and western Bay of Plenty in 2022
Sport Bay of Plenty has been selected by Sport New Zealand to participate in Healthy Active Learning phase 2 from January 2022 to December 2024. This enables Sport Bay of Plenty to expand our reach to a further 40 schools across the wider Bay of Plenty region. Sport Bay of Plenty now reaches a crossroads in terms of the initiatives we deliver on to the same target audience.
Sport Bay of Plenty’s vision for tamariki remains unchanged – ensuring physical activity is something that all tamariki enjoy and pursue for life. Insights show that young people are doing less activity than ever and this is most prevalent in rangatahi aged 15-17. We believe that working sustainably with schools to develop lifelong positive habits around physical activity starts in primary and intermediate schools.
Sustainability is critical and our impact will not be as strong as it could be by simply delivering activities to children directly. Healthy Active Learning adopts a more school-centric approach by providing the skills, knowledge and resources for schools to be independently physically active across a number of platforms. Healthy Active Learning addresses systemic changes that are underpinned by improved wellbeing outcomes for tamariki.
It is therefore no longer tenable to continue to offer both Healthy Active Learning and GO4it in the Bay of Plenty region. To this end, the GO4it programme will cease to function at the end of 2021 and Sport Bay of Plenty will begin engaging schools across the region to become part of Healthy Active Learning phase 2. Critically, there is a significant advantage to our work within schools through GO4it which means we will be able to weave through all of the knowledge and learnings of GO4it into Healthy Active Learning and make a greater impact to the tamariki in our communities.
Our relationships with schools are our most valuable asset. Our workforce will now be focussed on providing a smooth exit strategy from GO4it and, in consultation with schools and where suitable, a transition into Healthy Active Learning phase 2.
Sport Bay of Plenty will work hard to extend our reach across the region but there are resource limitations and a critical set of criteria, including the provision of a high quality workforce and appetite from schools to engage with Healthy Active Learning. These factors will help shape our decision-making as we enter this new phase, and we look forward to consulting with schools across the Bay of Plenty on this exciting initiative.
